Under the 24 banners hanging from the Bell Centre rafters on this 24th day, the Montreal Canadiens inched closer to 25 with an overtime victory on Thursday night on home ice. Doing so in the extra frame, Artturi Lehkonen put it away for the Canadiens, sending Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final.
This is not a drill nor a joke, the Montreal Canadiens are now four wins away from raising Lord Stanley’s Cup.
It was evident throughout the game that Montreal had a lot of confidence in themselves. They had taken care of the Golden Knights in Game 5 with a 4-1 win and knew they could get the job done.
Even though Vegas managed to tie the game twice, Montreal remained cool and confident, regardless of the situation; a very 1993-esque feeling. As the game progressed during the third, the Canadiens tightened up their play and there weren’t many opportunities outside the rushes with Tyler Toffoli and Cole Caufield.
You need unsung heroes in games like these and the Habs always have a few who show up when it matters most. Headed into overtime tied at two, the ghosts of the old were awoken and Artturi Lehkonen was shown the way. Starting with a pass from Brendan Gallagher to Philip Danault, who was in the neutral zone, a cut and drive ensued with the Vegas defence, leaving only a feed to Lehkonen, who bid them adieu with an open net goal.
28 years in the making later and Montreal is moving on to the Finals. After a hard-fought series from both sides, the team who made their presence crystal clear, showing signs of life often was the one who advanced. It was the third game of the series sent to overtime, which as a result, won them the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl. With that, the Habs exit the third round with a 5-1 record after 60 minutes.
Now, they await the winner of the Lightning/Islanders series, as they square off in Game 7 on Friday night in Tampa Bay. That will set up the Cup Final, which commences on Monday at 8:00pmET.